Sunday, August 25, 2013

Fifty Years On

Usually when we see Jesus healing someone it is
because they or their friends and relatives have requested it. But in today’s
gospel he calls out to a woman who has lived almost two decades bent double and
heals her. Even though she hasn’t asked him. What is Jesus doing here? Is he
moved by compassion, is he seizing a teaching moment or is he stirring up
trouble?

Why did a quarter of a million people head to
Washington for a march 50 years ago, and why are thousands of people following
in their footsteps this week? Are they moved by compassion, are they seizing a
teaching moment or are they stirring up trouble?

Certainly in 1963 the authorities were concerned
that there would be trouble. The march was
policed like a military operation, literally—it was called Operation Steep
Hill. They stopped all elective surgery in Washington that weekend. They
stopped the sale of alcohol, cancelled all baseball games, and said that the
courts were going to run all night, thinking that there would be a large number
of arrests.[1]

But it was a peaceful demonstration with few
arrests. Yet it challenged the status quo. Just as Jesus’ decision to heal the disabled
woman was a peaceful demonstration of the kingdom of God but also a
confrontation with the religious authorities. The point he was making was that
religious laws and religious practice are only part of the picture – when they get
in the way of us living the reign of God, when they get in the way of us
demonstrating God’s love then they are out of place.

At first glance, putting religious practice before
practical compassion doesn’t seem to be a big problem in this country today!
But the way Christianity is sometimes practiced is contributing to the political
impasse. If we imagine God as a purely external transcendent being who has
specific laws which we have to obey, then like the religious leaders of Jesus’
time we are going to take rigid positions. We may conclude that abortion is
wrong and given the rigidity of our understanding of God’s law it becomes
logical to say that anyone who agrees with abortion under any circumstances is
suspect. We lose sight of the need for compassion in our desire to be right.

For centuries people believed that slavery was
right, and supported this with their reading of the Biblical narrative. Then
they believed that white people of European descent were superior to others,
and again supported this with a few Bible verses. The 1963 March on Washington
is important in our history because it marks a time when people, black and
white, said enough is enough - we must treat all people equally - just as the
Stonewall Inn riot six years later was an iconic moment when gay people started
to demand equality.

But fifty years later we still do not have racial equality.
Of the 2.3million people in prison today in this country, nearly one million are
African-American. In 2008 Latinos and African Americans together made up a quarter
of the country’s population but 58% of the prison population. That is not
racial equality. The death of Trayvon Martin was a result of racial profiling,
which is a euphemism for racial discrimination. Had he been a white kid things
might have been very different for him and his family.

In a country built by immigrants we have an
immigration system which is antiquated and which makes it difficult for farmers
to legally get the workers they need and leaves thousands of migrant
fieldworkers open to exploitation. The bill which passed the Senate is not
perfect but it is a significant step forward but it is unlikely to pass the
House because the leadership of the House are taking a rigid anti-Obama stance
which prevents them from seeing the needs of real people.

What would Jesus do?

I really have no idea what Jesus would do, and in
some ways that’s an irrelevant question because he isn’t here and you and I
are. It is up to us to find ways to use our power to show compassion, raise up
teaching moments and, if necessary, to make trouble. We are fortunate to live
in a country where we can have a voice, where we don’t have to take to the
streets and risk having our children killed by riot police or by chemical
weapons. But we don’t use the voice that we have. When was the last time you
wrote a letter to the Editor or to an elected representative? When was the last
time you chose to get involved with a situation that calls to you? As Christians
we are called not just to go to church and do our spiritual practice but to be
informed and active citizens. We are called to make the world a better place
for all people, and that will only happen through systemic change which primarily
happens through government.

If our religious practice does not include
supporting those who are working for a world of equality and freedom then Jesus
is talking directly to us when he says “You hypocrites!”

This week there will be people in San Luis Obispo
who are part of the movement for immigration reform and there will be several
opportunities to meet them and learn more about it. There are details on the
notice board - a potluck on Wednesday
and a prayer vigil on Thursday. I hope that some of us will be able to be there.

Fifty years after the March on Washington it is time
for us to stop thinking of the civil rights movement as something in the past
but to realize that the reasons for the Jobs and Freedom march are as relevant
today as they were then - the discrimination,
joblessness and economic inequality faced by African Americans. For the
past six decades the rate of unemployment among black people has consistently been
twice that of whites.[2]
It is lower for Latinos, but still 2% higher than for the white population. It
is not surprising that gangs flourish.

It’s time that we added our voices to
the voices of those who are calling for equality. It is time for us to financially
support organizations that work for an end to discrimination and to provide
jobs for those who are chronically unemployed.

It is time for us to find creative ways, like Jesus,
to show compassion and to confront the rigid thinking and the systemic problems
which keep people bent over and limited for decade after decade.

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About

St Benedicts Episcopal Church is a welcoming faith community in Los Osos, California. For over 20 years we have been witnessing to God's all-inclusive love. In this bl;og we share sermons and other ideas in the hope that this will inspire conversation and new thinking about the God who has called us and who is faithful.